On 16 August 1841 he was nominated prebendary of Chardstock in Salisbury Cathedral, and made a domestic chaplain to the bishop of the diocese.
After some years of rest, in 1856 he became the perpetual curate of Rownhams, Southampton, where Lord Herbert, in conjunction with the widow of Major Colt, had built a new parish church.
In 1863, he succeeded Reverend Henry Drury as archdeacon of Wiltshire, when he was also made vicar of Bremhill-with-Highway, near Chippenham.
There he remained an active parish priest and a coadjutor to his bishop until 1868, when he was nominated to the bishopric of Gibraltar, and consecrated on 1 May.
His kindly manner, gentle bearing, knowledge of languages and long experience fitted him for his new duties in Gibraltar.